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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — employees
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. march — the month
  15. staff — employees
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hand — in cards
  19. march — music
  20. hand — help
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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