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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: fan · drill · fall · rule · can · kid · face · hide

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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 point toward
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fall — the season
  6. kid — to tease
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. face — to confront
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rule — a law
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rule — government
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. can — a tin
  19. kid — child
  20. can — a tin
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. drill — army training

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