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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. chest — a box
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. can — to be able to
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cap — of ice
  24. calf — of the leg

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