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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fine — all right
  7. kid — child
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. can — a tin
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pitch — completely
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. can — a tin
  19. land — a country
  20. game — a match
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fine — high quality

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