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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. net — for catching
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — to be able to
  13. swing — to play on
  14. net — in sport
  15. mug — a face
  16. can — a tin
  17. cap — a lid
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cap — a hat
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rest — a break

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