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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pound — a weight
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rush — hurry
  12. net — in sport
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ground — a position
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. object — an aim
  21. net — after costs
  22. object — to protest
  23. ground — crushed
  24. object — a thing

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