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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. court — of law
  3. can — a tin
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — a stick
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. net — after costs
  10. can — to be able to
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. net — for catching
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — low music
  17. net — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. court — of a king
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — for digging
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. court — for sport

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