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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — a trace
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mark — a grade
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bowl — to roll

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