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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. net — in sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. board — a committee
  6. spring — a coil
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. board — to get on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. spring — of water
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. rash — a series
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. can — a tin
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rash — hasty
  24. spring — the season

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