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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. pit — a hole
  7. net — for catching
  8. rock — a stone
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. charge — a price
  11. rock — music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. net — in sport
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mate — to breed
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. chip — to eat

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