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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pit — a hole
  5. last — finally
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. season — in sport
  9. track — a path
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. net — for catching
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pit — in a race
  16. track — to keep track
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. last — to go on
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. season — of the year
  21. net — in sport
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. last — final
  24. track — a song

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