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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. band — a music group
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. board — to get on
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. degree — an amount
  9. net — in sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mark — a trace
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. net — for catching
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. band — a ring
  19. season — in sport
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. degree — temperature
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. season — of the year
  24. mark — a grade

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