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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. can — a tin
  4. present — the time now
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. present — a gift
  7. mine — for digging
  8. present — there
  9. field — for sport
  10. rule — government
  11. bat — the animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. field — a subject
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. can — to be able to
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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