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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — for catching
  5. chest — of your body
  6. court — of law
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bulb — for light
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. court — for sport
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. net — in sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. nail — for a hammer

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