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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pass — a permit
  9. can — to be able to
  10. net — for catching
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hand — help
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. net — in sport
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. can — a tin
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lean — thin

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