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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. saw — the tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chest — of your body
  9. object — a thing
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. chest — a box
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. object — to protest
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — for a computer

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