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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. face — to confront
  12. can — a tin
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rash — a series
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. deal — to handle
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pound — a weight
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cap — a lid

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