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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bat — the animal
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. swing — in golf
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ground — a position
  15. swing — music
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bass — low music

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