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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — in sport
  5. court — for sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. root — of a word
  11. club — a group
  12. mate — a friend
  13. season — of the year
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. club — for golf
  16. court — of law
  17. land — ground
  18. root — the cause
  19. court — of a king
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. root — of a plant

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