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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. present — there
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fall — to drop
  5. season — of the year
  6. fall — to drop
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. present — a gift
  9. net — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. net — after costs
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — the sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fall — the season
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. present — the time now
  23. row — a line
  24. season — in sport

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