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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — of a king
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mark — a grade
  8. file — a tool
  9. mark — a trace
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. court — for sport
  14. file — a line of people
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — an injury
  17. deal — to handle
  18. net — after costs
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. file — a document
  21. court — of law
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. spell — letters

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