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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cap — of ice
  3. staff — employees
  4. mine — for digging
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — in sport
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cap — a hat
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. roll — a list
  13. saw — the tool
  14. roll — a cake
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. can — to be able to
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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