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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. net — in sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mark — a grade
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rule — a law
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mate — a friend
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cue — for pool
  17. net — for catching
  18. content — happy
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rule — government
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. content — the amount
  24. cue — a signal

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