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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. net — in sport
  11. dip — to sink
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. court — of a king
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. court — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — a line
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lean — thin
  21. kick — in football
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lean — to bend
  24. court — of law

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