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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bat — the animal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. object — a thing
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. band — a music group
  15. object — to protest
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. tube — a container
  19. object — an aim
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — the underground
  23. band — a ring
  24. can — to be able to

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