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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. net — in sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. net — after costs
  11. toast — bread
  12. deal — to handle
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bank — for money
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — the season
  18. bank — for money
  19. net — for catching
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hand — help
  24. bank — of a river

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