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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — to shout
  3. suit — to fit
  4. net — in sport
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. net — for catching
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bound — tied together
  16. suit — clothes
  17. content — the amount
  18. bound — certain
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. content — happy
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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