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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fork — in a road
  9. club — for dancing
  10. can — a tin
  11. club — for golf
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. club — a group
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — for catching

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