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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mark — a trace
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. spell — magic
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mark — a grade
  13. land — a country
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stand — to bear
  24. spell — letters

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