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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pop — music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kick — in football
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — a tin
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. face — to point toward
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. can — a tin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pop — soda
  16. bound — tied together
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bound — certain
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — obliged
  24. perch — the fish

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