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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: net · deal · wound · court · firm · plane · mug · mine

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. court — of law
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. firm — a company
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. firm — steady
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mug — a face
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mug — to rob
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. firm — decided
  17. deal — to handle
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wound — an injury
  24. deal — an agreement

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