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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. track — to keep track
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — a song
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. track — a path
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. shower — rain
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mark — to pay attention

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