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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. spell — magic
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — a tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — for catching
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. wake — a trail
  18. last — to go on

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