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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — a path
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fine — all right
  10. court — of law
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. net — in sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pit — a hole
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. court — of a king
  21. row — a line
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. track — a song
  24. net — for catching

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