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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. row — a line
  10. net — in sport
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. band — a ring
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. band — a music group
  24. row — to paddle

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