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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lean — thin
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lean — to bend
  10. net — after costs
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tear — to rip
  16. foot — a measure
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pit — a hole

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