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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. content — the amount
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. content — happy
  9. net — for catching
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. file — a tool
  14. pop — soda
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pop — to visit
  17. net — in sport
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. band — a ring
  21. pop — music
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. lash — an eyelash

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