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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spring — of water
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spring — a coil
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mate — a partner
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. net — in sport
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. net — for catching
  17. spring — the season
  18. fine — all right
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. date — the fruit
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

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