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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
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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: press · wound · net · mine · hand · fine · suit · game

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. hand — help
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. press — to push
  11. net — for catching
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. suit — clothes
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mine — for digging
  17. net — after costs
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. press — newspapers
  23. net — in sport
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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