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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: deal · mouse · mark · pitcher · net · wind · content · wound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — the amount
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. net — after costs
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. net — in sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wound — an injury
  23. net — for catching
  24. deal — to handle

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