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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chip — for betting
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bark — to shout
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. net — in sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. chip — to eat
  17. net — for catching
  18. sharp — clever
  19. foot — a measure
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. plane — a tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. racket — for tennis

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