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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. game — a match
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pop — soda
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pop — music
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. tear — from crying

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