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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. field — a subject
  9. chip — for betting
  10. dip — to sink
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cue — a hint
  13. net — for catching
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. field — farmland
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cue — for pool
  19. scale — in music
  20. cue — a signal
  21. net — in sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — for sport

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