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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. key — for a lock
  3. land — a country
  4. pop — to visit
  5. swing — to play on
  6. net — for catching
  7. key — the most important part
  8. land — ground
  9. pop — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pop — soda
  13. swing — in golf
  14. land — to come down
  15. net — in sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — in cards
  19. key — in music
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rock — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. swing — music
  24. suit — to fit

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