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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. drill — army training
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — after costs
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. content — happy
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — the amount
  24. drill — a practice

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