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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. net — for catching
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chip — for betting
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chip — to eat
  18. net — in sport
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — certain
  24. scale — in music

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