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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 120 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 partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. present — there
  3. content — the amount
  4. mug — a face
  5. foot — a measure
  6. content — happy
  7. mug — a cup
  8. net — in sport
  9. mug — to rob
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — the time now
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. present — a gift
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — to confront
  16. pop — to visit
  17. net — for catching
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. face — part of the head
  24. foot — the bottom

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