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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. can — a tin
  5. face — to confront
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. shower — to wash
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lean — thin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. face — part of the head
  15. sharp — clever
  16. shower — rain
  17. can — a tin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lean — to bend
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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