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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. net — after costs
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rest — a break
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. board — to get on
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. snap — to click
  19. net — for catching
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rest — what's left
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. board — a committee
  24. rush — hurry

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