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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. can — a tin
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — tied together
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. can — a tin
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — an illness
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bound — obliged
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — for catching
  19. bound — certain
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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