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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. net — in sport
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. net — for catching
  7. wind — moving air
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — tied together
  11. object — an aim
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bound — certain
  21. hand — help
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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