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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · pound · bowl · saw · cell · mine · stick · hide

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mine — for digging
  13. net — after costs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cell — a phone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. net — for catching
  24. hide — to keep secret

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