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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. shower — to wash
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. net — for catching
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. shower — rain
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. foot — a measure
  18. net — in sport
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stand — to bear
  21. prune — to trim
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stand — for spectators

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