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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pop — soda
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — to visit
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — music
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — thin
  15. snap — to click
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. march — music

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