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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mouse · ground · fine · toast · cold · can · row

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cold — an illness
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cold — not warm
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. can — a tin
  17. fine — all right
  18. ground — the earth
  19. can — to be able to
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. ground — a position
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. can — a tin

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