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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. last — final
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wind — moving air
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. net — for catching
  10. last — to go on
  11. cold — an illness
  12. last — finally
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. mug — to rob
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. cold — not warm

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