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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. can — to be able to
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. net — in sport
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. tube — the underground
  8. current — of water
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. net — after costs
  12. can — a tin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — electric
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. can — a tin
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. current — happening now
  23. tube — a container
  24. sharp — with an edge

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