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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wind — moving air
  3. net — after costs
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — to confront
  7. wind — moving air
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. press — newspapers
  15. face — to point toward
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — in sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — for catching
  20. face — part of the head
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fine — all right
  23. press — to push
  24. wave — with your hand

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