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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. land — a country
  3. content — happy
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. content — the amount
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. net — in sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. net — for catching

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