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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 do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. net — after costs
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rash — a series
  7. tear — to rip
  8. foot — a measure
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. net — in sport
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. net — for catching
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rash — hasty

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