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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. wind — moving air
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. net — for catching
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. net — in sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — to fit
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wind — moving air
  24. scale — in music

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