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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mark — a trace
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. spring — of water
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chest — a box
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. row — a line
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hand — help
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stand — on your feet

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