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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. last — final
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. lean — to bend
  5. deal — to handle
  6. season — in sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tube — the underground
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lean — thin
  21. net — after costs
  22. season — of the year
  23. tube — a container
  24. hand — help

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