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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. race — humankind
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. ground — the earth
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bore — to tire
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. net — in sport
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fork — in a road
  18. race — a contest
  19. net — for catching
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ground — a position
  24. key — the most important part

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