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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. can — to be able to
  3. net — for catching
  4. hand — in cards
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. field — for sport
  8. net — in sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. can — a tin
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. net — after costs
  17. key — in music
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. field — a subject
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. march — music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. march — the month
  24. field — farmland

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