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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. net — after costs
  3. bound — certain
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. kick — in football
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bound — tied together
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. coach — a trainer

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