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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 120 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 need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. root — the cause
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. net — for catching
  5. present — a gift
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. present — the time now
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bark — to shout
  16. deal — to handle
  17. clip — to cut
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pit — a hole
  20. root — of a word
  21. present — there
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. net — in sport

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