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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. content — the amount
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. deal — to handle
  6. net — after costs
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. root — the cause
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. net — for catching
  24. root — of a word

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