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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — to shout
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rest — a break
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rest — what's left
  9. net — in sport
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. net — for catching
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bear — the animal
  22. key — in music
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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