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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bank — for money
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pop — soda
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. pop — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stock — goods
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. can — a tin
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bat — for baseball

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