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

Word bank: face · staff · bat · march · deal · cabinet · can · date

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. 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. bat — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. staff — a stick
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. staff — employees
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. date — the fruit
  20. can — a tin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — to handle
  23. march — music
  24. 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