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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 116 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: wind · net · race · fine · wound · mug · court · nail

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. race — a contest
  3. court — for sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. fine — all right
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. race — the arms race
  9. court — of law
  10. mug — a face
  11. net — in sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wind — moving air
  17. net — after costs
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. court — of a king
  21. fine — high quality
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. net — for catching
  24. nail — on a finger

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