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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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. temple — a place of worship
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. track — a song
  8. wake — a trail
  9. net — in sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. net — for catching
  12. pop — music
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. season — in sport
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. track — a path
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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