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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — a path
  3. ball — a dance
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. land — a country
  6. present — there
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ball — a great time
  9. track — to keep track
  10. land — to come down
  11. fall — the season
  12. key — the most important part
  13. track — a song
  14. net — for catching
  15. fall — to drop
  16. key — for a lock
  17. snap — to click
  18. present — a gift
  19. key — in music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — the time now
  22. land — ground
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. net — in sport

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