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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — to recline
  4. march — music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. key — in music
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. land — ground
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. deal — to handle
  15. can — to be able to
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. march — the month
  20. land — a country
  21. march — the month
  22. key — the most important part
  23. land — to come down
  24. lie — an untruth

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