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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. net — in sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — to handle
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. net — for catching
  20. dip — to sink
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — to trim
  24. court — of a king

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