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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. pop — to visit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pop — soda
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — the sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. net — in sport
  17. pop — music
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. net — for catching
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chest — a box
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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