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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mine — for digging
  11. squash — the sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. squash — to crush
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. net — for catching
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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