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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  3. can — to be able to
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lie — to recline
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. snap — to click
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — a trainer
  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