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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bore — to drill
  4. net — in sport
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. net — for catching
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bore — to tire
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — a partner
  12. club — for golf
  13. mate — to breed
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. board — to get on
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. row — a line
  18. deal — to handle
  19. board — a committee
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. row — to paddle
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. club — a group

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