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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. can — to be able to
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. staff — a stick
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. can — a tin
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. capital — a city
  14. face — part of the head
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. capital — money
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — in sport
  24. staff — employees

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