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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mug — to rob
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — a face
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. net — for catching
  15. bank — for money
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mug — a cup
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. net — in sport
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — after costs

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