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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. net — after costs
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wound — an injury
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chair — a leader
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. net — in sport
  15. suit — clothes
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rush — hurry
  20. net — for catching
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wind — to turn a key

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