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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. game — a match
  5. snap — to click
  6. wound — an injury
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. net — in sport
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. net — after costs
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. game — wild animals
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. net — for catching
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. deal — to handle
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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