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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. march — the month
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. spring — a coil
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. march — music
  12. spring — of water
  13. dip — to sink
  14. march — the month
  15. hand — help
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — in cards
  18. foot — a measure
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spring — the season
  21. can — a tin
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. foot — part of the body

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