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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. club — for golf
  3. bore — to drill
  4. object — to protest
  5. club — a group
  6. mug — to rob
  7. net — for catching
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. mug — a face
  11. bore — to tire
  12. staff — employees
  13. tear — to rip
  14. object — a thing
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. object — an aim
  19. net — in sport
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pound — a weight
  22. club — for dancing
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pound — to hit hard

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