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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. staff — employees
  5. vault — a safe
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. toast — bread
  8. object — an aim
  9. net — in sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. staff — a stick
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. staff — employees
  16. squash — to crush
  17. object — a thing
  18. branch — a division
  19. net — for catching
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. squash — the sport

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