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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. shower — to wash
  3. can — a tin
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pop — to visit
  11. shower — rain
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pop — music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fine — all right
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rash — hasty
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rash — a series
  21. pop — soda
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chair — a leader

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