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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 116 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. suit — clothes
  3. net — in sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bank — for money
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. suit — in cards
  14. rock — music
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. staff — employees
  18. bank — for money
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. net — for catching

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