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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. can — a tin
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. kick — in football
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rush — hurry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. can — a tin
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. net — in sport
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. net — for catching
  23. can — to be able to
  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