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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. present — a gift
  3. craft — boats
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. present — there
  7. staff — employees
  8. sharp — clever
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tube — a container
  12. staff — employees
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. present — the time now
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. chest — of your body
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — the underground
  21. chest — a box
  22. wake — a trail
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. staff — a stick

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