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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spring — the season
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mug — a face
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. land — to come down
  10. spring — of water
  11. mug — to rob
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. race — a contest
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. land — ground
  17. race — humankind
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spring — a coil
  21. sharp — clever
  22. land — a country
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chair — a leader

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