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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cap — a lid
  3. can — a tin
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pop — soda
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mug — a cup
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tear — from crying
  14. swing — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. swing — in golf
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pop — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — in music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. tear — to rip

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