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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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