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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 116 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. net — in sport
  4. rock — music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fine — high quality
  7. hand — help
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fine — all right
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. net — for catching
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. club — for dancing
  14. dip — to sink
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. hand — in cards
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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