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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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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. net — in sport
  5. fine — all right
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wound — an injury

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