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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 120 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. root — of a word
  3. can — a tin
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. root — the cause
  8. file — a document
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. land — to come down
  12. net — in sport
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. kick — in football
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. land — a country
  18. root — of a plant
  19. file — a line of people
  20. band — a ring
  21. land — ground
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. net — for catching
  24. file — a tool

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