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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. field — for sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. rest — a break
  8. rash — hasty
  9. scale — size or range
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. scale — in music
  14. field — a subject
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. last — finally
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chip — to eat
  19. field — farmland
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. can — to be able to
  24. plane — a tool

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