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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. present — the time now
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — to keep track
  5. clip — a video
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. can — a tin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. present — there
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pop — to visit
  13. present — a gift
  14. ground — a position
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pop — music
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. kick — with a leg

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