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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lie — to recline
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. net — for catching
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. root — the cause
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — help
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — in sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. root — of a word
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. key — in music
  24. root — of a plant

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