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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tube — a container
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rash — a series
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. track — a path
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. lie — to recline
  16. can — to be able to
  17. hand — help
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. track — a song
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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