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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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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. can — to be able to
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mine — for digging
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. can — a tin
  23. clip — to cut
  24. tear — from crying

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