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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pop — to visit
  5. can — a tin
  6. pop — music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. toast — bread
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bat — the animal
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. saw — the tool
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pop — soda
  24. chair — a leader

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