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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 124 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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. pound — a weight
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. can — to be able to
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. key — in music
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. key — the most important part
  18. net — for catching
  19. can — a tin
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. net — in sport
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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