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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — goods
  15. rash — a series
  16. stock — shares
  17. rest — a break
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. kid — child
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. can — a tin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitcher — a jug

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