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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. pop — to visit
  5. net — in sport
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pop — soda
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. kick — in football
  15. pop — music
  16. branch — a division
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. branch — of a bank

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