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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. track — a path
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. track — a song
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cold — not warm
  12. can — to be able to
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cue — for pool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitch — completely
  21. degree — from a university
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. foot — a measure

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