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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. hand — help
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. craft — boats
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. capital — money
  14. land — ground
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. net — in sport
  21. land — to come down
  22. craft — a skill
  23. hand — in cards
  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