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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. hand — in cards
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. can — a tin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. can — a tin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. hand — help
  15. wind — moving air
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. coach — a trainer

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