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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. net — in sport
  5. spring — a coil
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. net — for catching
  13. spring — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spring — the season
  22. snap — to click
  23. ball — a dance
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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