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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fork — in a road
  3. net — in sport
  4. track — a song
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. can — to be able to
  10. content — the amount
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. season — in sport
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. can — a tin
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. track — a path
  20. can — a tin
  21. season — of the year
  22. net — for catching
  23. track — to keep track
  24. content — happy

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