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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. can — a tin
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. charge — electricity
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. charge — a price
  11. fall — the season
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. charge — in control
  15. face — to point toward
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stand — to bear
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. face — to confront

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