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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. present — the time now
  3. land — a country
  4. bore — to drill
  5. hand — in cards
  6. root — of a word
  7. land — ground
  8. root — of a plant
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. root — the cause
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. hand — help
  18. pass — a permit
  19. present — a gift
  20. land — to come down
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. present — there
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bowl — to roll

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