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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. firm — decided
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. swing — in golf
  7. net — in sport
  8. swing — music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pit — a hole
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. firm — a company
  18. net — for catching
  19. firm — steady
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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