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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — a path
  3. net — in sport
  4. scale — in music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. track — to keep track
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bound — obliged
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lie — to recline
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. net — for catching
  20. charge — a price
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. track — a song
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. charge — in control

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