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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. court — of law
  7. content — the amount
  8. prune — to trim
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. content — happy
  13. mate — a partner
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. mate — a friend
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. can — a tin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. prune — to trim

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