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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · lie · rest · cell · wind · net · toast · fan

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. toast — bread
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. object — a thing
  5. net — in sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. net — after costs
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. lie — to recline
  10. object — to protest
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — a break
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — an aim
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cell — a phone

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