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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lie — to recline
  6. roll — a cake
  7. net — for catching
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bore — to drill
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. roll — a list
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — in sport
  19. degree — from a university
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bore — to tire
  24. saw — the tool

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