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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bass — the fish
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. ground — a position
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ground — the earth
  9. object — to protest
  10. row — a line
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. object — a thing
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. net — after costs
  18. wind — moving air
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bass — low music
  22. net — in sport
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. object — an aim

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