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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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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: net · rash · pit · straw · deal · face · wound · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — after costs
  4. face — part of the head
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rash — hasty
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. net — for catching
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. net — in sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. rash — a series
  24. straw — a straw man

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