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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spell — letters
  7. swing — music
  8. spell — a short time
  9. swing — in golf
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. sharp — clever
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — magic
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rest — a break

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