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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 124 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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mug — a cup
  3. can — to be able to
  4. sharp — clever
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mug — to rob
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. vault — a safe
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. can — a tin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rush — hurry
  20. key — in music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mug — a face
  24. bat — in an idiom

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