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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hand — help
  4. rock — a stone
  5. net — for catching
  6. rock — music
  7. root — of a word
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cap — a lid
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cap — a hat
  17. net — in sport
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chest — of your body
  21. root — the cause
  22. saw — the tool
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chest — a box

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