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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. face — to confront
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kid — child
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cell — a phone
  9. can — a tin
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. hand — in cards
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — help
  15. kid — to tease
  16. band — a ring
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mug — a face
  24. face — part of the head

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