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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. content — happy
  6. key — in music
  7. field — farmland
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — for sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. can — to be able to
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. field — a subject
  23. can — a tin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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