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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — for catching
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wound — an injury
  9. scale — size or range
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cell — in biology
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bank — of a river
  15. net — after costs
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. club — a group
  18. bank — for money
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. net — in sport
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. scale — in music
  23. club — for golf
  24. sharp — with an edge

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