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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — to confront
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. shower — rain
  9. tube — a container
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cell — in biology
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. can — a tin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rule — a law
  20. perch — the fish
  21. can — a tin
  22. rule — government
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cell — a phone

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