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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. net — after costs
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. present — a gift
  8. rest — a break
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wake — a trail
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — a grade
  19. net — for catching
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ground — a position
  22. spell — a short time
  23. net — in sport
  24. branch — a division

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