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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. net — for catching
  6. clip — to cut
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. club — for golf
  15. clip — a video
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — for paper
  19. tear — from crying
  20. net — after costs
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hide — animal skin

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