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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. net — after costs
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. tear — to rip
  8. staff — a stick
  9. scale — in music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. staff — employees
  12. content — the amount
  13. scale — size or range
  14. staff — employees
  15. rest — a break
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. content — happy
  23. tear — from crying
  24. plane — an aircraft

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