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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. can — a tin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. net — in sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. foot — a measure
  9. row — to paddle
  10. hand — help
  11. row — a line
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. hand — in cards
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bowl — a football final

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