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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fine — all right
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. snap — to click
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — in sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. net — for catching
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fine — high quality
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. scale — size or range
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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