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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. court — of a king
  3. bank — for money
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — to go on
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. last — final
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — of your body
  12. can — a tin
  13. court — for sport
  14. last — finally
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bank — of a river
  17. key — in music
  18. kid — child
  19. chest — a box
  20. court — of law
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. key — the most important part
  24. chest — of your body

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