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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bank — for money
  3. ground — crushed
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ground — a position
  6. craft — boats
  7. bank — for money
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. craft — a skill
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — for catching
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. squash — the sport
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pound — a weight
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. net — in sport
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bank — of a river

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