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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mug — to rob
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. can — a tin
  5. bank — for money
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bank — of a river
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bat — the animal
  10. row — a line
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mug — a face
  16. kick — in football
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cell — in biology
  21. can — a tin
  22. bank — for money
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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