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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — for catching
  4. bank — for money
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bank — for money
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — to confront
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. net — in sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rest — a break
  19. ground — a position
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. tube — a container
  23. mine — for digging
  24. face — part of the head

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