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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — a gift
  8. kid — child
  9. fine — all right
  10. present — there
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fine — high quality
  14. net — for catching
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. present — the time now
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. net — in sport

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