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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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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mug — a face
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — help
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. can — a tin
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rock — to move gently

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