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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — a company
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rock — a stone
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. firm — steady
  15. spring — of water
  16. charge — in control
  17. spring — the season
  18. land — a country
  19. rock — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. net — for catching
  22. land — ground
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. land — to come down

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