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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mate — to breed
  3. can — a tin
  4. pop — music
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pop — soda
  7. mate — a friend
  8. squash — to crush
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. foot — a measure
  15. squash — the sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitch — completely
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. scale — in music
  24. can — a tin

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