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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. file — a tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. squash — to crush
  8. club — for golf
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. file — a document
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rock — music
  14. lean — thin
  15. can — a tin
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lean — to bend
  21. club — a group
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. pitcher — a jug

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