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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. roll — a list
  3. firm — decided
  4. ball — a dance
  5. net — in sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. scale — in music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. net — for catching
  14. firm — steady
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ball — a great time
  20. firm — a company
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. scale — for weighing

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