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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mine — for digging
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — of the year
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rash — a series
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. net — in sport
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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