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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. saw — the tool
  8. toast — bread
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. net — for catching
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. roll — a list
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pop — to visit
  19. swing — music
  20. date — the fruit
  21. swing — in golf
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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