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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. hand — help
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. pound — a weight
  8. can — to be able to
  9. game — a match
  10. net — for catching
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hand — in cards
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wound — an injury
  23. can — a tin
  24. net — in sport

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