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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. last — to go on
  3. net — for catching
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — finally
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fine — high quality
  9. shower — rain
  10. capital — money
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. capital — a city
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. shower — to wash
  15. net — after costs
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. net — in sport
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. fine — all right
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cell — a phone
  24. last — 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