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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fine — high quality
  7. deal — to handle
  8. race — a contest
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. race — humankind
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fine — all right
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. spring — of water
  18. last — to go on
  19. spring — the season
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. last — finally
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. last — final

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