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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. row — a line
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. race — the arms race
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. net — for catching
  11. last — final
  12. court — for sport
  13. dip — to sink
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. court — of law
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — of a king
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — in sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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