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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mate — a friend
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. land — ground
  15. bass — low music
  16. land — to come down
  17. squash — to crush
  18. scale — in music
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. land — a country
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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