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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. can — to be able to
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. can — a tin
  16. chair — a leader
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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