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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fall — the season
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. bass — the fish
  8. land — ground
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. hand — help
  13. fall — to drop
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. net — after costs
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. kid — to tease
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fall — to drop
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bass — low music

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