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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. net — in sport
  4. cell — a phone
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. cell — in biology
  13. net — for catching
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stem — to come from
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stem — of a plant

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