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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. net — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ball — a great time
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. net — after costs
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mine — for digging
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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