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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. shower — rain
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. shower — to wash
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — farmland
  10. firm — a company
  11. row — a line
  12. can — to be able to
  13. field — for sport
  14. rash — a series
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. field — a subject
  19. rash — hasty
  20. firm — steady
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. saw — the tool
  23. firm — decided
  24. saw — the tool

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