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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. present — the time now
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. can — a tin
  7. sharp — clever
  8. row — to paddle
  9. last — finally
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. row — a line
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. last — final
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rule — a law
  16. last — to go on
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. present — there
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rule — government
  23. hand — in cards
  24. present — a gift

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