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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.

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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. foot — a measure
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. net — in sport
  7. row — a line
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. row — to paddle
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. net — after costs
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. row — a quarrel

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