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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. root — of a word
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rush — hurry
  9. net — in sport
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fine — all right
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — the cause
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. net — for catching
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fine — high quality
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. last — final

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