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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mark — a grade
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — a city
  8. march — the month
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. capital — money
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. march — the month
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. deal — to handle
  18. can — to be able to
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mark — a trace
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. calf — a young animal

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