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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spell — a short time
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. spell — magic
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — for paper
  11. net — for catching
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. net — in sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. plane — a tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mouse — the animal

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