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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. lean — thin
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. net — after costs
  4. can — to be able to
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. can — a tin
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. can — a tin
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pop — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the sport
  22. band — a music group
  23. net — for catching
  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