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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — a tin
  4. snap — to click
  5. rest — a break
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. net — after costs
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — in sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. court — of law
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. court — for sport
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. net — for catching
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. branch — a division

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