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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · cell · present · can · squash · hide · staff · net

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. present — the time now
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. staff — a stick
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fall — the season
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. net — for catching
  13. can — to be able to
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. cell — a phone
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — a tin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — a gift
  22. cell — in biology
  23. present — there
  24. cell — in a prison

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