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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. field — farmland
  5. net — in sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. net — after costs
  9. field — for sport
  10. court — for sport
  11. craft — a skill
  12. hand — help
  13. lie — to recline
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — boats
  16. field — a subject
  17. can — a tin
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. can — a tin
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — of law
  23. stand — to bear
  24. net — for catching

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