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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. mate — a partner
  3. net — after costs
  4. mark — a trace
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mark — a grade
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — to fit
  10. net — in sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mate — to breed
  13. row — a line
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. row — to paddle
  20. suit — in cards
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wound — an injury
  24. suit — clothes

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