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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kick — in football
  4. land — a country
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — in a road
  7. land — to come down
  8. net — for catching
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. lean — thin
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. land — ground
  24. prune — to trim

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