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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. shower — rain
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mug — to rob
  5. row — a line
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. content — the amount
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. mug — a cup
  12. can — a tin
  13. row — to paddle
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. content — happy
  20. wax — to grow
  21. staff — employees
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mug — a face
  24. can — to be able to

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