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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. net — in sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. can — a tin
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — for catching
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tear — from crying
  20. can — a tin
  21. tear — to rip
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rule — to rule out
  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