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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — in sport
  4. game — a match
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — bread
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. net — for catching
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rash — a series
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rash — hasty
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. court — of a king

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