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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. saw — the tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rush — hurry
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. last — finally
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. can — to be able to
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cold — not warm
  24. nail — for a hammer

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