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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 124 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. land — to come down
  4. kid — child
  5. stand — to bear
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. land — ground
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pass — a permit
  16. kid — to tease
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bass — the fish
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — a country
  24. scale — for weighing

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