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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — a box
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fine — all right
  8. net — after costs
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — a tin

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