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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rash — a series
  7. net — for catching
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rule — government
  14. tear — to rip
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. net — in sport
  17. row — a line
  18. mug — a face
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. row — to paddle
  22. tear — from crying
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pound — a weight

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