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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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. suit — to fit
  4. foot — a measure
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. suit — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. last — final
  19. net — in sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — for catching
  22. pass — a permit
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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