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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — to keep track
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. track — a path
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. net — in sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. prune — to trim
  9. last — to go on
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — to trim
  14. track — a song
  15. vault — a safe
  16. plane — a tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. last — finally
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. last — final

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