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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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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mark — a trace
  3. net — after costs
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. firm — decided
  8. lie — to recline
  9. ground — a position
  10. wind — moving air
  11. firm — steady
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. net — in sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. firm — a company
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mark — a grade

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