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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — after costs
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wind — moving air
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. ground — the earth
  14. roll — a list
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ground — a position

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