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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ground — a position
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. net — for catching
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wound — an injury
  14. net — in sport
  15. field — for sport
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. net — after costs
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — a subject
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wave — with your hand

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