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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. key — the most important part
  3. swing — to play on
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. swing — music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — to come down
  12. hand — in cards
  13. land — ground
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. net — after costs
  19. bank — for money
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — a country
  22. net — for catching
  23. key — in music
  24. net — in sport

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