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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. drill — a practice
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. chest — of your body
  7. drill — army training
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cap — of ice
  13. can — a tin
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chest — a box
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cap — a hat
  18. charge — a price
  19. land — to come down
  20. chest — of your body
  21. charge — in control
  22. cap — a lid
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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