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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spring — a coil
  5. row — a line
  6. kid — to tease
  7. suit — to fit
  8. scale — size or range
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. scale — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. spring — of water
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. spring — the season
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bound — tied together
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kid — child
  24. suit — clothes

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