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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. file — a tool
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — in sport
  8. suit — in cards
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cell — in biology
  12. file — a line of people
  13. land — ground
  14. bore — to drill
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. suit — clothes
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. file — a document
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rash — hasty
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bore — to tire
  24. land — a country

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