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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. can — a tin
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. season — in sport
  5. foot — a measure
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. land — ground
  8. bound — certain
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. net — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. can — to be able to
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. can — a tin
  17. bound — obliged
  18. net — for catching
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. plane — a tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bound — tied together
  24. land — a country

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