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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. can — a tin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. race — humankind
  5. face — to confront
  6. can — a tin
  7. race — the arms race
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. race — a contest
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — to be able to
  15. land — a country
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. face — part of the head
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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