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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. net — in sport
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mate — a friend
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mate — a partner
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. net — for catching
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pound — a weight

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