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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. key — for a lock
  3. object — a thing
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. key — in music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spell — letters
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. key — the most important part
  12. row — a line
  13. tube — a container
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — to protest
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. net — in sport
  21. tube — the underground
  22. net — for catching
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. club — for dancing

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