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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. staff — a stick
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — wild animals
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. clip — for paper
  14. can — a tin
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. game — a match
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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