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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. staff — employees
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. staff — employees
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. can — a tin
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bear — the animal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. snap — to click
  16. bear — the animal
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. file — a document
  23. can — to be able to
  24. file — a 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