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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mug — a face
  8. march — the month
  9. race — a contest
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mug — a cup
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. march — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. race — humankind
  20. mug — to rob
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. saw — the tool

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