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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — tied together
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. net — for catching
  5. march — the month
  6. net — after costs
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bound — obliged
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — the month
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — music
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bound — certain

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