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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chip — to eat
  3. can — a tin
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — a friend
  8. can — to be able to
  9. root — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — for betting
  13. march — music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bore — to drill
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mate — to breed
  21. root — of a word
  22. mate — a partner
  23. root — the cause
  24. swing — music

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