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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fine — high quality
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. ball — a dance
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. fine — all right
  18. hand — help
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — for sport
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. hide — animal skin

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