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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hand — in cards
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — to bend
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cue — a signal
  11. staff — employees
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. game — a match
  14. staff — employees
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. hand — help
  18. cold — an illness
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — thin
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. can — to be able to

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