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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. foot — the bottom
  3. net — for catching
  4. pop — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pop — soda
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  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