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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. net — for catching
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stem — to come from
  14. net — after costs
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. kid — child
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fine — all right

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