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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. scale — size or range
  6. net — in sport
  7. chip — to eat
  8. season — in sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. net — for catching
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. drill — army training
  13. can — to be able to
  14. drill — the tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. can — a tin
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. season — of the year
  24. pass — to spend time

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