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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 opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. firm — decided
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. can — a tin
  9. hand — help
  10. rule — a law
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. firm — a company
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. firm — steady
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rule — government
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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