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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 124 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. charge — in control
  3. squash — the sport
  4. net — in sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. charge — a price
  9. cold — an illness
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. land — ground
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — for catching
  15. cold — not warm
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. land — a country
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bulb — for light
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. land — to come down
  22. vault — a safe
  23. squash — to crush
  24. arm — part of the body

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