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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hand — in cards
  4. object — an aim
  5. mine — for digging
  6. last — final
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mark — a grade
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. last — finally
  12. can — a tin
  13. last — to go on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. object — to protest
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. row — a line
  20. object — a thing
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hand — help
  24. mine — belonging to me

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