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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cold — not warm
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. spell — a short time
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spell — letters
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — for catching
  14. spell — magic
  15. deal — to handle
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cold — an illness
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. face — to confront

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