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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. foot — a measure
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mark — a trace
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. net — for catching
  12. mark — a grade
  13. net — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. foot — the bottom

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