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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. capital — money
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. game — wild animals
  7. track — to keep track
  8. drill — army training
  9. pit — in a race
  10. game — a match
  11. capital — a city
  12. pit — a hole
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. track — a song
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. drill — the tool
  23. can — to be able to
  24. track — a path

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