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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. can — a tin
  2. plane — a tool
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. game — a match
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. can — a tin
  19. season — in sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. drill — army training
  22. chest — a box
  23. plane — in geometry
  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