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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lie — to recline
  8. fall — to drop
  9. land — to come down
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. land — ground
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — a country
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fall — the season
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fall — to drop
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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