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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.

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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: wound · cap · net · spell · fine · firm · game · press

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. net — in sport
  3. firm — steady
  4. press — a publisher
  5. net — for catching
  6. cap — a lid
  7. press — to push
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. net — after costs
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — an injury
  16. firm — decided
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. spell — magic
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cap — a hat
  21. firm — a company
  22. fine — all right
  23. game — a match
  24. spell — a short time

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