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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cap — a hat
  4. can — a tin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — to be able to
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rock — a stone
  10. game — a match
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. face — to point toward
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to confront
  18. cap — a lid
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rock — music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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