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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. lean — thin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stand — to bear
  14. ball — a dance
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rest — a break
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cell — in biology
  24. dip — to sink

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