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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — a tin
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. can — to be able to
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. row — a quarrel

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