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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. can — a tin
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mate — a friend
  8. net — for catching
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. board — to get on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. net — after costs
  24. board — a committee

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