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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. last — to go on
  3. net — in sport
  4. last — finally
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. net — for catching
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fall — to drop
  16. last — final
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. object — a thing
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. dip — to sink
  24. tube — in a tire

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