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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — for paper
  4. date — the fruit
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bound — tied together
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. clip — a video
  10. bulb — for light
  11. staff — employees
  12. bound — certain
  13. board — to get on
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. net — in sport
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. net — for catching
  19. bulb — for light
  20. board — a committee
  21. staff — a stick
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bound — obliged

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