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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. net — in sport
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — a tin
  13. net — for catching
  14. spell — a short time
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rule — a law
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hand — help
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rule — government
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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