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

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cue — for pool
  3. can — a tin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cue — a hint
  6. can — to be able to
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. saw — the tool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. land — ground
  16. can — a tin
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chest — of your body

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