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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mark — a grade
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mark — a trace
  8. saw — the tool
  9. content — happy
  10. mate — a partner
  11. squash — to crush
  12. net — in sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. net — for catching
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. content — the amount
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. saw — the tool

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