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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. object — to protest
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. object — a thing
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. net — for catching
  13. mate — to breed
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wind — moving air
  16. object — an aim
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — to turn a key

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