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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. firm — decided
  3. hand — help
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cap — a lid
  6. firm — a company
  7. drill — army training
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. firm — steady
  12. can — to be able to
  13. row — to paddle
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — a line
  16. pop — soda
  17. cap — a hat
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pop — music
  23. can — a tin
  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