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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — music
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. capital — money
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. club — for dancing
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. club — for golf
  13. capital — a city
  14. club — a group
  15. can — a tin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. snap — to click
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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