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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rest — a break
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rest — what's left
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. staff — employees
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. march — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — a stick
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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