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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lie — to recline
  5. can — to be able to
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. chest — of your body
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. can — a tin
  16. capital — a city
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. capital — money
  24. safe — out of danger

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