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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bulb — for light
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fork — in a road
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rash — a series
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cell — in biology
  16. key — in music
  17. net — for catching
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. net — 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