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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. net — for catching
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. net — in sport
  6. rash — hasty
  7. kid — child
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — certain
  15. content — happy
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fork — in a road
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — a series
  20. net — after costs
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. content — the amount

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