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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lie — to recline
  9. file — a tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. file — a line of people
  14. club — for golf
  15. hand — help
  16. club — a group
  17. file — a document
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rash — a series
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — soda
  24. hand — in cards

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