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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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. lie — an untruth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. net — for catching
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. staff — a stick
  11. net — in sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. staff — employees
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. branch — a division
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lie — to recline
  23. last — final
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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