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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. spell — magic
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. spell — letters
  7. charge — a price
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spell — a short time
  12. land — ground
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — to come down
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. charge — in control
  23. net — in sport
  24. land — a country

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