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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mug — a face
  3. staff — employees
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — to rob
  7. staff — a stick
  8. net — for catching
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bank — for money
  11. kid — child
  12. bank — for money
  13. staff — employees
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. net — after costs
  16. kid — to tease
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mug — a cup
  24. squash — to crush

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