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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. suit — to fit
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. clip — a video
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pop — soda
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. can — a tin
  14. suit — clothes
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wax — for sculpting

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