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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. pop — to visit
  8. land — to come down
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — a tin
  13. rest — a break
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bass — low music
  17. net — in sport
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rest — what's left
  22. net — for catching
  23. can — to be able to
  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