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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wind — moving air
  3. object — to protest
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. object — an aim
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. net — after costs
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. object — a thing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — for catching
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. net — in sport
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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