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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. season — of the year
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — for catching
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. content — the amount
  14. net — in sport
  15. content — happy
  16. season — in sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lean — thin
  24. plane — in geometry

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