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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. net — for catching
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — after costs
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bound — certain
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — obliged
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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