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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. suit — in cards
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. suit — clothes
  7. swing — in golf
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stock — goods
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. net — in sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. net — for catching
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. swing — to play on
  19. suit — to fit
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. hand — help
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cell — a phone
  24. swing — 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