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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. can — a tin
  3. face — to confront
  4. charge — a price
  5. date — the fruit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. can — a tin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mine — for digging
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. face — part of the head
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — the tool
  19. charge — in control
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stand — to bear
  22. fall — to drop
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — an explosive

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