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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. toast — bread
  14. content — the amount
  15. lie — to recline
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. bulb — for light
  19. current — electric
  20. content — happy
  21. net — for catching
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. toast — the most admired

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