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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rock — a stone
  3. can — a tin
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tube — a container
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. can — to be able to
  9. present — a gift
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. can — a tin
  16. snap — to click
  17. rock — music
  18. present — the time now
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. tube — the underground

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