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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. can — a tin
  3. snap — to click
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chair — a leader
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. shower — rain
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cap — of ice
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. coach — a trainer

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