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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. staff — employees
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fall — the season
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. lean — to bend
  11. staff — employees
  12. content — the amount
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — for catching
  16. object — a thing
  17. march — music
  18. lean — thin
  19. object — an aim
  20. net — in sport
  21. content — happy
  22. march — the month
  23. staff — a stick
  24. object — to protest

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