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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. firm — steady
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cold — not warm
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. firm — decided
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. can — to be able to
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — tied together
  21. firm — a company
  22. bound — certain
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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