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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hand — in cards
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. spring — of water
  7. file — a document
  8. pop — soda
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pop — to visit
  12. dip — to sink
  13. staff — a stick
  14. spring — the season
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pop — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — help
  21. file — a tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mug — to rob

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