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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. mug — to rob
  4. drill — army training
  5. mug — a face
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mug — a cup
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cue — a hint
  10. game — wild animals
  11. drill — the tool
  12. game — a match
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stem — to come from
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cue — a signal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cue — for pool

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