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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: hand · ground · straw · can · pit · pop · file · leaves

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ground — the earth
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pit — in a race
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pop — to visit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pop — soda
  15. hand — help
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a tool
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hand — in cards
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. file — a document
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pop — music

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