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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cold — an illness
  4. can — a tin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — help
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — to go on
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bat — the animal
  13. last — finally
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — in cards
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. last — final

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