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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 didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. can — a tin
  3. bulb — for light
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stock — goods
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stock — shares
  10. lean — to bend
  11. can — a tin
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. can — to be able to
  24. lean — thin

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