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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — child
  13. net — for catching
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. net — in sport
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. net — after costs
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mouse — the animal

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