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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. can — a tin
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tear — from crying
  5. net — after costs
  6. shower — rain
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. key — in music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pitch — completely
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fine — all right
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mine — for digging
  20. net — for catching
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — in sport
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. shower — to wash

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