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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bulb — for light
  10. game — a match
  11. foot — a measure
  12. season — of the year
  13. net — in sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. club — a group
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. club — for golf
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wave — with your hand

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