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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mine — for digging
  5. net — in sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. toast — bread
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bank — for money
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. net — for catching
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pass — a permit
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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