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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. suit — to fit
  3. deal — to handle
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — in sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. squash — the sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. squash — to crush
  15. suit — clothes
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. suit — in cards
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. shower — to wash
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cold — an illness
  24. shower — rain

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