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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. net — in sport
  5. root — of a plant
  6. club — for golf
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. club — a group
  13. plane — a tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. face — part of the head
  18. net — for catching
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. fork — in a road
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bear — the animal
  24. club — for dancing

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