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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pop — music
  5. root — the cause
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — a match
  8. plane — a tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. pop — soda
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. pop — to visit
  18. lie — to recline
  19. net — for catching
  20. root — of a word
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — in geometry

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