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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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. net — in sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. fall — the season
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — for catching
  9. last — finally
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chest — of your body
  12. last — to go on
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lean — thin
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fall — to drop
  19. last — final
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — what's left

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