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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pound — a weight
  12. face — to point toward
  13. toast — bread
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. band — a ring
  20. face — to confront
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mate — a friend
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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