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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pound — a weight
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fork — in a road
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — to be able to
  10. capital — a city
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. track — a song
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. track — a path
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. can — a tin
  24. swing — music

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