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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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Word bank
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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. content — happy
  5. spell — a short time
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spell — letters
  8. net — for catching
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mug — a cup
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. net — in sport
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mug — a face
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spell — magic

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