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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. net — in sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. land — ground
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. firm — decided
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. object — to protest
  10. wake — a trail
  11. firm — steady
  12. land — to come down
  13. kid — child
  14. land — a country
  15. net — after costs
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — for catching
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. firm — a company
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. kid — to tease
  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