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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. swing — in golf
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. pit — a hole
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bore — to tire
  11. net — for catching
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mug — a face
  18. clip — to cut
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mug — a cup
  21. net — in sport
  22. mug — to rob
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. plane — a tool

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