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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. net — after costs
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pop — music
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. last — to go on
  7. deal — to handle
  8. net — in sport
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pop — soda
  11. shower — to wash
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — finally
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — for catching
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — final
  19. shower — rain
  20. can — a tin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — to visit
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. deal — an agreement

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