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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fork — in a road
  5. net — in sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. track — a song
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — for catching
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mine — belonging to me

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