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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — a practice
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. drill — army training
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cap — of ice
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bat — the animal

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