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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. net — after costs
  3. rash — a series
  4. object — to protest
  5. cap — a lid
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. object — a thing
  9. net — for catching
  10. shower — rain
  11. rest — a break
  12. pop — soda
  13. rest — what's left
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cap — a hat
  18. net — in sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. face — part of the head
  21. object — an aim
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pop — music
  24. rash — hasty

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