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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. net — for catching
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. net — after costs
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — happy
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — in sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — magic
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. spring — of water
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. content — the amount
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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