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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. hand — help
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — to keep track
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cell — a phone
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. cell — in biology
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. track — a path
  21. net — in sport
  22. track — a song
  23. staff — employees
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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