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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. net — after costs
  3. spell — a short time
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wind — moving air
  6. net — for catching
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fine — high quality
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. shower — rain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. firm — steady
  16. fine — all right
  17. shower — to wash
  18. firm — decided
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. net — in sport
  21. firm — a company
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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