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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.

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: ball · spring · net · can · mine · dip · pop · charge

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. can — a tin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spring — of water
  8. net — after costs
  9. can — a tin
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. charge — in control
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. ball — a dance
  15. spring — the season
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pop — soda
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. charge — a price
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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