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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — certain
  8. kick — in football
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hand — help
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — of the year
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. face — to confront
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  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