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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. key — in music
  3. bank — for money
  4. key — the most important part
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bank — of a river
  7. key — for a lock
  8. net — for catching
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bank — for money
  11. charge — in control
  12. net — in sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. lean — thin
  17. charge — a price
  18. clip — to cut
  19. land — ground
  20. track — a path
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. track — a song
  23. clip — a video
  24. charge — electricity

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