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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pop — music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cold — not warm
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mate — a partner
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. can — a tin
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pop — soda
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. mate — to breed
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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