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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. land — a country
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. land — to come down
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — ground
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. drill — a practice
  10. snap — to click
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. drill — army training
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. swing — to play on
  21. can — to be able to
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pound — a weight

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