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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. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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. land — to come down
  4. deal — to handle
  5. ball — a great time
  6. land — a country
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pop — music
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. net — in sport
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. plane — a tool
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. land — ground
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. ball — a dance

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