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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — after costs
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bound — certain
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — for digging

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