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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. rash — a series
  3. band — a music group
  4. rash — hasty
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. track — a song
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. track — to keep track
  10. can — a tin
  11. net — for catching
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — a cake
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. track — a path
  20. band — a ring
  21. deal — to handle
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. arm — a part of something
  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