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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: racket · can · spring · wake · hide · net · straw · toast

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. net — after costs
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spring — the season
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spring — a coil
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. net — for catching
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. net — in sport
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. spring — of water
  16. toast — bread
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wake — a trail
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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