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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — a position
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. ground — crushed
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cue — a signal
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cue — a hint
  12. object — to protest
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. key — for a lock
  16. object — an aim
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ground — the earth
  19. object — a thing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. key — in music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. season — in sport

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