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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. net — in sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bound — certain
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rash — a series
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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