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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 124 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ball — a dance
  8. object — a thing
  9. net — for catching
  10. object — an aim
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. net — in sport
  16. mug — a face
  17. pitch — completely
  18. ball — a great time
  19. object — to protest
  20. branch — a division
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mug — a cup

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