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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. net — in sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lie — to recline
  15. snap — to click
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — the sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. foot — a measure
  23. branch — a division
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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