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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chest — a box
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chest — of your body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. field — for sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. field — farmland
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bulb — for light
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. can — a tin
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — a subject
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bulb — for light

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