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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — to play on
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — music
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. lean — to bend
  13. spell — letters
  14. mine — for digging
  15. spell — a short time
  16. march — the month
  17. cue — a signal
  18. spell — magic
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lean — thin
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. can — a tin

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