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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · face · sharp · cold · mug · can

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mug — a face
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mug — a cup
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cold — an illness
  11. can — a tin
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. can — to be able to
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. face — to point toward
  16. can — a tin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — to confront

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