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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mark — a trace
  4. band — a music group
  5. mark — a grade
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mate — a partner
  10. row — to paddle
  11. court — of law
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hand — in cards
  15. row — a line
  16. hand — help
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. can — a tin
  24. mark — to pay attention

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