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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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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. drill — the tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. can — to be able to
  5. kid — to tease
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. net — in sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. can — a tin
  14. kid — child
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. content — happy
  19. drill — army training
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. can — a tin
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. content — the amount

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