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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. can — a tin
  5. fall — the season
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spell — letters
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rest — a break
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spell — magic
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rest — what's left
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — a young animal

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