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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cap — a lid
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. swing — music
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cap — a hat
  18. snap — to click
  19. can — to be able to
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bass — low music

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