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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. court — for sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bound — obliged
  5. can — to be able to
  6. net — for catching
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. net — after costs
  9. capital — a city
  10. court — of law
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — money
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. can — a tin
  19. court — of a king
  20. rush — hurry
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bound — certain
  23. net — in sport
  24. calf — of the leg

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