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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. can — a tin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — finally
  5. hand — help
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — a measure
  9. last — final
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. net — in sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. last — to go on
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. can — a tin
  18. mine — for digging
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. date — the fruit
  23. hand — in cards
  24. net — after costs

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