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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hand — in cards
  4. file — a document
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — to recline
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stock — goods
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — music
  12. kid — child
  13. file — a tool
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — help
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stock — shares
  23. kid — to tease
  24. file — a line of people

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