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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. drill — army training
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. game — a match
  14. mine — for digging
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. can — a tin
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — a practice
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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