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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. can — to be able to
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. ground — crushed
  7. swing — in golf
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. swing — music
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ground — a position
  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