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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. firm — a company
  5. rash — a series
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — size or range
  8. can — a tin
  9. firm — steady
  10. cap — a lid
  11. perch — the fish
  12. firm — decided
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bound — certain
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — tied together
  19. hand — help
  20. cap — of ice
  21. scale — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — obliged
  24. hand — in cards

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