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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. row — to paddle
  3. charge — a price
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cap — a hat
  6. net — after costs
  7. wound — an injury
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. net — for catching
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cap — of ice
  17. row — a line
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. charge — in control
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pit — a hole

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