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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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468
Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. net — after costs
  3. pit — a hole
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. net — for catching
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. toast — bread
  9. bass — low music
  10. suit — clothes
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pit — in a race
  17. suit — to fit
  18. net — in sport
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. kid — child
  21. chair — a leader
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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