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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. land — ground
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — a country
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — to come down
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. season — in sport
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — a video
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. season — of the year

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