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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. clip — for paper
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. game — a match
  5. object — to protest
  6. game — wild animals
  7. can — to be able to
  8. object — an aim
  9. squash — to crush
  10. swing — to play on
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. clip — a video
  15. swing — in golf
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. object — a thing
  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