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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. net — after costs
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kick — in football
  10. chest — a box
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — for catching
  17. wind — moving air
  18. net — in sport

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