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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. can — to be able to
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. net — for catching
  6. fall — to drop
  7. deal — to handle
  8. fine — all right
  9. can — a tin
  10. squash — the sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — to go on
  13. clip — a video
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fine — high quality
  18. last — finally
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. last — final
  21. clip — for paper
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. fine — a penalty

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