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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lean — to bend
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lean — thin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rule — government
  17. row — to paddle
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rule — a law
  22. date — the fruit
  23. row — a line
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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