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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. net — after costs
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rest — a break
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rash — hasty
  11. season — of the year
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. can — a tin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. net — for catching
  18. can — a tin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. net — in sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — a series

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