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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. season — of the year
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. deal — to handle
  21. net — for catching
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cap — of ice
  24. deal — an agreement

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