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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pop — music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — the season
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cap — a lid
  11. net — in sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. net — after costs
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. can — to be able to
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pop — soda
  23. spring — of water
  24. bowl — a dish

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