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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 120 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: face · ball · can · mug · cabinet · clip · mine · suit

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. can — a tin
  3. suit — clothes
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. can — a tin
  12. suit — to fit
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. can — to be able to
  19. suit — in cards
  20. clip — a video
  21. mine — for digging
  22. face — to point toward
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cabinet — ministers

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