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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spring — the season
  3. root — of a plant
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. net — for catching
  6. spring — a coil
  7. clip — for paper
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fine — all right
  10. present — a gift
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spring — of water
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. root — of a word
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. root — the cause
  21. present — there
  22. fine — high quality
  23. net — in sport
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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