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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — for dancing
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. field — a subject
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. field — farmland
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. field — for sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pit — in a race
  18. club — a group
  19. net — for catching
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. club — for golf
  22. kick — in football
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pit — a hole

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