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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 124 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. dip — to sink
  3. net — after costs
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pound — a weight
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. object — to protest
  11. capital — money
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. net — in sport
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. capital — a city
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — for catching
  24. pound — to hit hard

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