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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 124 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lean — thin
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. lean — to bend
  15. net — in sport
  16. suit — clothes
  17. net — for catching
  18. kick — in football
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. suit — in cards
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bark — to shout
  24. squash — the vegetable

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