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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — electricity
  6. tear — from crying
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. net — in sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. net — for catching
  11. tear — to rip
  12. plane — a tool
  13. face — to confront
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. face — to point toward
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — a price
  19. wax — to grow
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. drill — a practice
  24. charge — in control

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