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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — after costs
  3. hand — in cards
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. hand — help
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. net — in sport
  18. cell — in biology
  19. net — for catching
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. game — a match
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bear — the animal

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