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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. kid — child
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. can — a tin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mine — for digging
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stand — to bear

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