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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kid — child
  4. cold — an illness
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. row — a line
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. court — of law
  10. net — for catching
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cold — not warm
  13. net — in sport
  14. toast — bread
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. row — to paddle
  17. kid — to tease
  18. foot — a measure
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. court — of a king
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. court — for sport

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