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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wind — moving air
  5. court — of law
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. net — for catching
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — in sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — of a king
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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