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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. face — to confront
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rule — a law
  6. row — a line
  7. deal — to handle
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bat — the animal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rule — government
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. can — to be able to
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. row — to paddle
  24. can — a tin

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