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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cue — a hint
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. net — in sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. charge — a price
  13. band — a music group
  14. charge — electricity
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. band — a ring
  19. cue — for pool
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. charge — in control
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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