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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. can — to be able to
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spell — magic
  6. club — for golf
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pit — in a race
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. club — a group
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. ground — the earth
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bore — to drill
  18. net — for catching
  19. can — a tin
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pit — a hole
  23. net — in sport
  24. spell — a short time

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