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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 116 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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mate — a friend
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. row — a line
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. net — in sport
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bore — to tire
  16. plane — a tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bore — to drill
  21. net — for catching
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wake — a trail

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