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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. face — to confront
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pound — a weight
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. face — to point toward
  17. can — a tin
  18. face — part of the head
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to click
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

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