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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wound — an injury
  4. firm — a company
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. shower — rain
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. foot — a measure
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. charge — in control

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