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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bass — low music
  10. file — a document
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spell — letters
  13. file — a tool
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mark — a trace
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spell — magic
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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