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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bass — the fish
  3. spell — magic
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — letters
  19. fall — the season
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bass — the instrument

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