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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. content — happy
  3. hand — in cards
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bank — for money
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bank — for money
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. squash — the sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bear — 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