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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lean — thin
  3. key — in music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. net — in sport
  6. race — a contest
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lean — to bend
  11. race — the arms race
  12. net — for catching
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. race — humankind
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — help
  17. pound — a weight
  18. key — for a lock
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pound — for dogs

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