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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. face — part of the head
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kick — in football
  5. current — of water
  6. face — to confront
  7. court — of law
  8. spell — letters
  9. shower — to wash
  10. spring — of water
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spring — a coil
  14. current — happening now
  15. spring — the season
  16. spell — a short time
  17. court — for sport
  18. shower — rain
  19. can — to be able to
  20. current — electric
  21. can — a tin
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spell — magic
  24. court — of a king

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