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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. last — finally
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. net — in sport
  10. file — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. last — final
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. last — to go on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. file — a document
  23. net — for catching
  24. wave — with your hand

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