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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. field — farmland
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. field — for sport
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. field — a subject
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. club — a group
  15. bark — to shout
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pass — a permit
  18. chip — to eat
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. club — for golf
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chip — for betting

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