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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. face — to point toward
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fork — in a road
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. band — a ring
  24. cabinet — ministers

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