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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cell — a phone
  3. squash — to crush
  4. net — in sport
  5. present — there
  6. cell — in biology
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. roll — a cake
  9. present — the time now
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. present — a gift
  12. board — a committee
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — a tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. board — to get on
  23. net — for catching
  24. plane — an aircraft

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