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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. present — there
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. present — the time now
  11. lean — to bend
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fork — in a road
  15. roll — a list
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — in sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — a friend
  20. present — a gift
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lean — thin

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