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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spell — letters
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — in music
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. net — in sport
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spell — magic
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — for catching
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rush — hurry
  24. plane — in geometry

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