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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — after costs
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. row — a line
  6. plane — a tool
  7. net — for catching
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. charge — a price
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — to paddle
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. charge — in control
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. fall — the season

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