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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. content — the amount
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. content — happy
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — a city
  16. rock — music
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. can — to be able to
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — money
  24. wake — a trail

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