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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pit — a hole
  5. net — for catching
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pit — in a race
  11. net — in sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. field — farmland
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. key — in music
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bark — to shout
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pitcher — a jug

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