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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. deal — to handle
  5. sharp — clever
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mine — for digging
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. swing — music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. net — in sport
  17. object — a thing
  18. swing — to play on
  19. lean — to bend
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. net — for catching
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lean — thin

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