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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spring — of water
  8. march — the month
  9. mate — to breed
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. spring — the season
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. march — music
  18. squash — the sport
  19. march — the month
  20. can — to be able to
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. spring — a coil
  24. land — ground

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