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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. can — a tin
  5. present — a gift
  6. ground — a position
  7. kid — child
  8. can — a tin
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. season — in sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rule — government
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. can — to be able to
  16. season — of the year
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. face — part of the head
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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