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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. net — for catching
  6. cue — a hint
  7. kid — child
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cue — for pool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. net — in sport
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pit — a hole
  18. net — after costs
  19. pit — in a race
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wound — an injury

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