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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 124 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — in sport
  5. stand — to bear
  6. net — for catching
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bound — obliged
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. row — a line
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — certain
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bound — tied together
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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