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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — for catching
  4. present — the time now
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — to be able to
  7. net — in sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. present — there
  11. bore — to tire
  12. season — in sport
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. present — a gift
  15. season — of the year
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of a king
  18. bore — to drill
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — after costs
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. arm — a part of something

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