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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. toast — bread
  4. kid — child
  5. shower — rain
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mate — a partner
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mate — a friend
  17. charge — electricity
  18. can — a tin
  19. row — a line
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. charge — a price
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. charge — in control

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