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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rest — a break
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. march — the month
  10. net — in sport
  11. march — the month
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — music
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. ball — a dance
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. net — after costs
  21. hand — help
  22. can — to be able to
  23. net — for catching
  24. deal — a big deal

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