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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 124 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — farmland
  3. snap — to click
  4. field — a subject
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. field — for sport
  7. pop — music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. can — a tin
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. craft — a skill
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. craft — boats
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. can — to be able to

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