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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: wound · pound · net · squash · ball · calf · jam · capital

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — in sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. squash — to crush
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — for catching
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. net — after costs
  17. capital — a city
  18. squash — the sport
  19. capital — money
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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