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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fall — to drop
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. present — there
  5. swing — in golf
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lean — thin
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. swing — music
  11. track — a song
  12. shower — rain
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — for catching
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lean — to bend
  17. present — the time now
  18. track — a path
  19. fall — the season
  20. shower — to wash
  21. present — a gift
  22. swing — to play on
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. net — in sport

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