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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. dip — a sauce
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bound — obliged
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cue — a hint
  13. key — in music
  14. dip — to sink
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cue — for pool
  19. hand — help
  20. bound — certain
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. can — to be able to
  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