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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. face — to confront
  3. present — a gift
  4. key — the most important part
  5. clip — a video
  6. face — part of the head
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. can — a tin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bulb — for light
  12. present — the time now
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. present — there
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. face — to point toward
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bulb — for light
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to click
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — to cut

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