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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. land — ground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — happy
  5. land — a country
  6. cap — a hat
  7. land — to come down
  8. cap — of ice
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cap — a lid
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. present — a gift
  14. content — the amount
  15. can — to be able to
  16. present — the time now
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. can — a tin
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. present — there

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