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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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. key — the most important part
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spell — letters
  7. key — in music
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. key — for a lock
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. charge — a price
  12. content — the amount
  13. charge — electricity
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spell — magic
  19. prune — to trim
  20. content — happy
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — to trim
  23. net — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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