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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cue — a hint
  6. squash — the sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cue — for pool
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cue — a signal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. net — for catching
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mark — a trace
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. net — after costs

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