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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. fall — to drop
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fall — the season
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. can — to be able to
  10. root — of a word
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. root — the cause
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bat — the animal
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mouse — the animal
  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