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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — in sport
  9. kick — in football
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. can — a tin
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pop — soda
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — of the year
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mine — for digging
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mine — belonging to me

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