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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — in sport
  4. row — a line
  5. firm — steady
  6. date — the fruit
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. firm — a company
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fine — high quality
  12. firm — decided
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cell — a phone
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. net — for catching
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fine — all right
  21. row — to paddle
  22. toast — bread
  23. spell — letters
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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