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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — in a race
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — help
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. net — in sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — moving air
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. net — for catching
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pass — a permit
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — after costs
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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