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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · can · pop · land · sharp · bat · squash · staff

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. land — to come down
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pop — to visit
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. can — a tin
  10. sharp — clever
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. staff — employees
  14. land — ground
  15. staff — employees
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bat — the animal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. land — a country
  23. staff — a stick
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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