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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rest — what's left
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bass — the fish
  6. net — for catching
  7. charge — in control
  8. roll — a list
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. bass — low music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. charge — a price
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wake — a trail
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. charge — electricity
  23. net — in sport
  24. season — in 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