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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 120 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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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: object · fan · drill · arm · deal · season · chip · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chip — to eat
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. object — a thing
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. object — to protest
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. object — an aim
  20. deal — to handle
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. drill — army training
  23. season — of the year
  24. net — in sport

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