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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. sharp — with an edge
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. charge — electricity
  7. perch — the fish
  8. charge — a price
  9. stand — to bear
  10. can — a tin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. charge — in control
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. sharp — clever
  23. can — to be able to
  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