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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. tube — a container
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tube — the underground
  9. capital — money
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. capital — a city
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stock — shares
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stock — goods
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hand — help
  24. perch — for a bird

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