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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. object — to protest
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bark — to shout
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. degree — from a university
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. net — for catching
  12. content — the amount
  13. degree — an amount
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. object — an aim
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. content — happy
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. object — a thing
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pit — a hole
  24. net — in sport

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