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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cold — an illness
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. can — to be able to
  7. kick — in football
  8. face — part of the head
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. can — a tin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. row — a line
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. cold — not warm

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