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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. tear — to rip
  3. content — the amount
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. content — happy
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — a list
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. current — of water
  16. roll — a cake
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. current — electric
  19. plane — a tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. current — happening now
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. calf — of the leg
  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