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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bear — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bear — the animal
  24. can — a tin

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