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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: can · bear · cabinet · roll · hand · race · chair · pop

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. race — humankind
  6. bear — the animal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. hand — help
  9. roll — a list
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pop — music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — soda
  16. bear — the animal
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. race — a contest
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chair — a leader
  24. can — a tin

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