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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. can — a tin
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mark — a trace
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. drill — army training
  8. mark — a grade
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mate — to breed
  16. scale — in music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. can — a tin

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