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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bound — certain
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — letters
  8. bound — tied together
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rest — what's left
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. file — a tool
  14. object — a thing
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rest — a break
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. net — in sport
  22. file — a document
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bark — of a tree

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