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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. chest — of your body
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. club — a group
  6. squash — the sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. chest — of your body
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. plane — a tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bark — to shout
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — in sport
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chest — a box

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