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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spring — the season
  3. file — a document
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. can — a tin
  6. court — of a king
  7. stand — to bear
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. face — to confront
  11. court — for sport
  12. mate — a partner
  13. row — a line
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. face — part of the head
  17. spring — of water
  18. court — of law
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. file — a line of people
  22. can — a tin
  23. row — to paddle
  24. file — a tool

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