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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rock — a stone
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. net — in sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rash — a series
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rock — music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chip — to eat
  23. net — for catching
  24. foot — part of the body

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