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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wind — moving air
  3. net — after costs
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rest — what's left
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. band — a music group
  10. fine — all right
  11. wind — moving air
  12. net — for catching
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. net — in sport
  15. band — a ring
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pit — in a race
  24. safe — out of danger

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