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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. net — in sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pop — soda
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lean — thin
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. chest — a box
  14. net — for catching
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chest — of your body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lean — to bend
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pop — music

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