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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. squash — to crush
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — a company
  9. staff — employees
  10. squash — the sport
  11. band — a music group
  12. net — in sport
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. shower — rain
  16. band — a ring
  17. firm — decided
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fine — high quality
  20. firm — steady
  21. fine — all right
  22. net — for catching
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. staff — employees

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