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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. net — for catching
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. net — in sport
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. net — after costs
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. snap — to click
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. band — a music group
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. can — to be able to

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