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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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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — rain
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. net — for catching
  7. board — a committee
  8. fall — the season
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chip — to eat
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. board — to get on
  15. chip — for betting
  16. shower — to wash
  17. net — in sport
  18. cabinet — ministers

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