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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bore — to drill
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. fine — high quality
  6. band — a music group
  7. mine — for digging
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. can — a tin
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. hand — in cards
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. net — after costs
  20. can — to be able to
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. hand — help
  24. mine — belonging to me

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