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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. key — in music
  3. pop — soda
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. net — for catching
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hand — in cards
  8. club — for golf
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pop — music
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. net — in sport
  14. track — a song
  15. craft — boats
  16. hand — help
  17. track — a path
  18. key — for a lock
  19. club — for dancing
  20. key — the most important part
  21. club — a group
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pop — to visit

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