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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cap — a lid
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cap — a hat
  8. net — in sport
  9. spell — magic
  10. chip — for betting
  11. suit — clothes
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. season — of the year
  15. spell — a short time
  16. suit — to fit
  17. spell — letters
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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