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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. squash — to crush
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. can — a tin
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kid — child
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. can — a tin
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cap — a hat

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