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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bound — certain
  3. rule — government
  4. firm — decided
  5. content — happy
  6. rock — music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. firm — steady
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. content — the amount
  18. bass — low music
  19. rule — a law
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. firm — a company
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wax — in the ear

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