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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. row — a line
  6. court — for sport
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. court — of a king
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pop — soda
  19. lean — thin
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. court — of law
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. prune — to trim

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