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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bank — for money
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. object — an aim
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hand — in cards
  10. net — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — for money
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. hand — help
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. net — for catching

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