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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — in music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kid — to tease
  23. perch — the fish
  24. can — to be able 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