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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — in sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — for catching
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hand — help
  14. band — a music group
  15. hand — in cards
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. fork — in a road
  23. band — a ring
  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