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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. net — for catching
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — after costs
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. club — a group
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lie — to recline
  12. net — in sport
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. club — for golf
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rest — what's left
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rush — hurry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. lie — an untruth

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