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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bass — low music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. craft — boats
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. can — a tin
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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