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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a committee
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. can — a tin
  8. net — in sport
  9. board — to get on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — a box
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chest — of your body
  14. snap — to click
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. net — for catching
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. can — a tin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. can — to be able to
  23. foot — a measure
  24. board — a flat piece

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