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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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Word bank
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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: toast · hide · cap · can · march · cell · fine · face

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. can — a tin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. face — part of the head
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. face — to confront
  12. toast — bread
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cap — of ice
  16. face — to point toward
  17. march — the month
  18. can — a tin
  19. cell — in biology
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cell — in a prison

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