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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. stand — to bear
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — help
  6. mark — a trace
  7. row — a line
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. can — a tin
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mark — a grade
  18. hand — in cards
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. tube — a container
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — a quarrel

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