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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lean — thin
  3. net — after costs
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rash — a series
  8. net — for catching
  9. rest — what's left
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rest — a break
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. net — in sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lean — to bend
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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