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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — a song
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mate — a partner
  5. net — for catching
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. track — to keep track
  9. net — in sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — to breed
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rule — government
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. spell — magic
  17. rule — a law
  18. mate — a friend
  19. spell — letters
  20. track — a path
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. prune — to trim

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