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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 124 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. net — after costs
  2. drill — army training
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cap — of ice
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. net — in sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rock — a stone
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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