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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. can — to be able to
  3. track — a path
  4. can — a tin
  5. pound — a weight
  6. can — a tin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. file — a document
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. track — a song
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bear — the animal

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