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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a tool
  3. dip — to sink
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hand — help
  9. rock — a stone
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. spring — the season
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. can — a tin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. file — a line of people
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a document
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spring — of water
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rock — music

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