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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. can — to be able to
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. can — a tin
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. content — the amount
  11. spell — a short time
  12. kick — in football
  13. swing — music
  14. content — happy
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fall — the season
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. spell — magic
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. swing — in golf
  22. spell — letters
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fall — to drop

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