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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. rash — a series
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pop — to visit
  11. tube — a container
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. march — music
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pop — soda
  21. tube — the underground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bat — in an idiom

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