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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — in cards
  4. key — in music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. march — the month
  7. can — to be able to
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stock — goods
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. march — the month
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stock — shares
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. can — a tin
  17. march — music
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. key — the most important part

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