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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. net — after costs
  4. bore — to tire
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stock — goods
  8. key — in music
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bore — to drill
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stock — shares
  18. net — for catching
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cap — of ice
  21. present — the time now
  22. net — in sport
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fan — a supporter

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