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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. net — after costs
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. net — for catching
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. net — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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