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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — the season
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fall — to drop
  8. content — happy
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — to handle
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. march — the month
  19. ball — a great time
  20. can — to be able to
  21. ball — a dance
  22. content — the amount
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. arm — part of the body

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