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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — for sport
  8. scale — size or range
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. scale — in music
  16. court — of law
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — in sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. charge — in control
  23. net — for catching
  24. scale — for weighing

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