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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. row — a line
  6. ball — a great time
  7. can — to be able to
  8. prune — to trim
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ball — a dance
  13. row — to paddle
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wake — a trail
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. game — a match

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