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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. net — in sport
  4. game — wild animals
  5. net — for catching
  6. root — the cause
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. foot — a measure
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rush — hurry
  20. game — a match
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. land — ground

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