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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ground — crushed
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — for catching
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. net — in sport
  17. pit — a hole
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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