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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. scale — in music
  5. rush — hurry
  6. object — a thing
  7. net — for catching
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — a match
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. scale — size or range
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. craft — boats
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. craft — a skill
  18. object — an aim
  19. net — after costs
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. object — to protest
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. net — in sport
  24. craft — a handicraft

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