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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. can — to be able to
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. key — the most important part
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. can — a tin
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. game — a match
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bat — the animal
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pit — a hole

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