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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. can — to be able to
  3. hand — in cards
  4. last — finally
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. file — a document
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. last — final
  9. bore — to tire
  10. can — a tin
  11. bore — to drill
  12. can — a tin
  13. stock — goods
  14. lean — thin
  15. stock — shares
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. file — a tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. scale — in music
  21. lean — to bend
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. scale — size or range

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