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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. net — for catching
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. land — to come down
  7. season — in sport
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — a country
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. land — ground
  19. net — in sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. toast — bread
  22. rush — hurry
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fall — the season

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