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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. can — to be able to
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. net — in sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cell — a phone
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — help
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cell — in biology
  16. can — a tin
  17. wax — to grow
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. net — after costs
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. hand — part of the body

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