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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — wild animals
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. can — to be able to
  11. net — for catching
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. net — after costs
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bass — the fish
  18. net — in sport
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. deal — to handle
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. game — a match
  24. bass — low music

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