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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ball — a great time
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ball — a dance
  7. chair — a leader
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mark — a grade
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mark — a trace
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bound — obliged
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bound — certain
  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