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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pop — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. can — a tin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pop — soda

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