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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. can — a tin
  6. cap — a lid
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — for digging
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cap — of ice
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. squash — the sport
  24. sharp — clever

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