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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. net — in sport
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. court — of law
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. net — after costs
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bulb — for light
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. court — of a king
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. net — for catching
  15. hand — help
  16. court — for sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bulb — for light

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