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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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. net — after costs
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. net — for catching
  7. branch — a division
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pound — a weight
  15. spell — magic
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spell — letters
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. net — in sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. spell — a short time
  24. sharp — clever

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