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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. root — the cause
  7. deal — to handle
  8. net — in sport
  9. spell — magic
  10. race — humankind
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. root — of a plant
  13. race — a contest
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. spell — a short time
  18. root — of a word
  19. race — the arms race
  20. last — finally
  21. branch — a division
  22. spell — letters
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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