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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cap — a lid
  3. net — in sport
  4. land — ground
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cap — a hat
  9. land — to come down
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. net — for catching
  23. land — a country
  24. bear — the animal

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