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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. face — part of the head
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — the fish
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tube — the underground
  16. game — wild animals
  17. sharp — clever
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. face — to confront
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. game — a match
  24. cap — of ice

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