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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wind — moving air
  3. squash — to crush
  4. net — for catching
  5. object — an aim
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. object — a thing
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. net — in sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lean — thin
  15. bank — for money
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. object — to protest
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. temple — side of the head

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