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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rash — a series
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. sharp — clever
  12. hand — help
  13. rash — hasty
  14. staff — employees
  15. charge — in control
  16. wind — moving air
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mine — for digging
  21. charge — a price
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wind — moving air

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