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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mark — a grade
  3. net — in sport
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cap — a hat
  6. net — for catching
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. mark — a trace
  10. scale — in music
  11. bat — the animal
  12. club — a group
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. club — for dancing
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cap — of ice
  21. last — final
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. club — for golf
  24. mark — to pay attention

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