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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — for catching
  7. mate — a friend
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. net — in sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ground — a position
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mate — a partner
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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