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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 124 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. mug — a face
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. object — to protest
  11. march — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. mug — to rob
  17. court — of a king
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. court — of law
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — a cup
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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