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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chip — for betting
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. spell — a short time
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. snap — to click
  18. spell — magic
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. spell — letters
  24. tear — from crying

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