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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. can — to be able to
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — in sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. row — a line
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. row — to paddle

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