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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pit — a hole
  3. court — of law
  4. land — a country
  5. bulb — for light
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mate — a friend
  12. court — of a king
  13. net — in sport
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mark — a grade
  21. land — ground
  22. court — for sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pit — in a race

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