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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. net — for catching
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. net — after costs
  10. rock — a stone
  11. track — a path
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rash — a series
  20. net — in sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. track — a song
  23. can — a tin
  24. rock — music

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