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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. club — a group
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for golf
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mark — a trace
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mark — a grade
  18. tear — from crying
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. club — for dancing
  24. key — in music

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