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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spring — the season
  3. can — a tin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — to point toward
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. can — to be able to
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. face — to confront
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. court — for sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spring — of water
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. face — part of the head
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fan — a supporter

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