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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. game — a match
  6. bound — obliged
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a ring
  10. bound — certain
  11. file — a document
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. file — a tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. band — a music group

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