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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rock — music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. net — in sport
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. present — there
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — for catching
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rock — a stone
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — a list
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. roll — a cake
  24. date — the fruit

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