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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. kid — child
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mug — to rob
  7. face — to confront
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cell — in biology
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. can — a tin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bass — low music
  19. can — a tin
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bat — the animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mug — a face

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