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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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. can — to be able to
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pop — to visit
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bound — obliged
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. cap — a hat
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kick — in football
  18. pop — soda
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pop — music
  24. cap — of ice

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