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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. can — a tin
  3. club — a group
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. club — for golf
  7. tube — a container
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cap — of ice
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cap — a lid
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a hat
  16. tube — the underground
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. can — a tin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. perch — the fish
  24. fan — a supporter

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