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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. can — a tin
  3. snap — to click
  4. can — a tin
  5. game — a match
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. craft — a skill
  9. hand — help
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. craft — boats
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cabinet — ministers

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