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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. land — to come down
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. land — a country
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. can — to be able to
  11. board — a committee
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — help
  15. mug — a face
  16. hand — in cards
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. mug — a cup
  20. land — ground
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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