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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pop — soda
  9. rock — music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. net — for catching
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. season — in sport
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pop — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — of the year
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. net — in sport
  24. deal — to handle

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