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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — certain
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bound — tied together
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. shower — to wash
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — rain
  13. content — the amount
  14. kick — in football
  15. bound — obliged
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. can — to be able to
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — happy

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