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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 was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. can — a tin
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rash — hasty
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. face — part of the head
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fall — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. face — to confront
  21. rash — a series
  22. net — in sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chip — to eat

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