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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — clothes
  3. net — after costs
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. key — in music
  9. net — for catching
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chest — a box
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. net — in sport
  15. suit — to fit
  16. roll — a list
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. date — the fruit

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