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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. board — to get on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fine — high quality
  7. board — a committee
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. tear — to rip
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fine — all right
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — from crying
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — from crying

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