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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. drill — the tool
  6. craft — boats
  7. can — a tin
  8. drill — a practice
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. shower — to wash
  11. spring — the season
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. craft — a skill
  17. capital — a city
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. shower — rain
  22. capital — money
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. drill — army training

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