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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 116 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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. face — to point toward
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cap — of ice
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. season — of the year
  7. face — to confront
  8. cap — a lid
  9. present — there
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cold — an illness
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — to be able to
  15. sharp — clever
  16. present — the time now
  17. cold — not warm
  18. can — a tin
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. season — in sport
  21. present — a gift
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. can — a tin
  24. cap — a hat

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