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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a tool
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. file — a line of people
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. file — a document
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bat — the animal

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