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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. net — in sport
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fine — all right
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. deal — to handle
  11. row — to paddle
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. row — a line
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spell — letters

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