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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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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: deal · net · rock · pop · race · charge · wound · dip

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pop — music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. race — the arms race
  5. charge — in control
  6. net — after costs
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pop — soda
  9. rock — music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. charge — electricity
  12. net — in sport
  13. deal — to handle
  14. net — for catching
  15. race — humankind
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pop — to visit
  18. charge — a price
  19. dip — to sink
  20. race — a contest
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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