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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. shower — to wash
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fine — all right
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fine — high quality
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. shower — rain
  18. net — in sport
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. net — for catching
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. arm — a part of something

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