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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — help
  10. face — to confront
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pound — to hit hard

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