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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. snap — to click
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mate — a partner
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — in control
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — of the year
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. charge — electricity
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mate — to breed
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. can — a tin
  23. charge — a price
  24. mate — a friend

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