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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — to confront
  10. net — in sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. last — finally
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bank — for money
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. last — final
  20. staff — employees
  21. net — for catching
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitcher — a jug

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