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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. object — a thing
  3. net — after costs
  4. object — an aim
  5. row — a line
  6. root — of a word
  7. net — for catching
  8. object — to protest
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. root — the cause
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. net — in sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fine — all right
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mine — for digging

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