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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mate — a partner
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — to rip
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. net — for catching
  11. mate — a friend
  12. net — in sport
  13. wake — a trail
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. board — to get on
  18. pass — a permit
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mate — to breed
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — before a funeral

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