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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. board — a committee
  4. pop — soda
  5. net — in sport
  6. stem — to come from
  7. object — to protest
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. face — to confront
  10. pop — to visit
  11. board — to get on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. object — an aim
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pop — music
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. face — part of the head
  22. net — for catching
  23. lean — thin
  24. object — a thing

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