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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bass — low music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — a box
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. bat — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com