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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. spell — a short time
  4. field — for sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — magic
  14. field — a subject
  15. object — an aim
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — farmland
  18. object — to protest
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — letters
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. object — a thing
  24. kick — in football

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