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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. race — humankind
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bound — certain
  8. spell — letters
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — obliged
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. scale — in music
  19. race — a contest
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spell — magic
  22. mark — a grade
  23. scale — size or range
  24. can — a tin

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