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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. can — to be able to
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. roll — a list
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — a tin
  23. kid — to tease
  24. race — humankind

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