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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — a stone
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rock — music
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spell — letters
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. march — the month
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. march — music
  17. spell — magic
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. can — a tin
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pitcher — a jug

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