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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. degree — an amount
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. net — in sport
  12. degree — temperature
  13. staff — employees
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. band — a music group
  19. lean — thin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. degree — from a university
  24. staff — a stick

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