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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 116 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fine — high quality
  8. file — a document
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pass — a permit
  16. face — part of the head
  17. file — a tool
  18. fine — all right
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bore — to tire
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. face — to confront
  24. wound — an injury

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