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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cold — an illness
  5. can — a tin
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ball — a great time
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. net — in sport
  17. press — to push
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — after costs
  22. kid — child
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. press — a publisher

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