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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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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. net — in sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. net — for catching
  6. fall — to drop
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. bank — of a river
  10. row — to paddle
  11. can — a tin
  12. fall — the season
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bank — for money
  18. row — a line
  19. can — a tin
  20. spell — magic
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bank — for money
  24. race — humankind

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