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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. present — there
  3. court — for sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mate — a friend
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chest — a box
  10. present — a gift
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tube — the underground
  16. court — of a king
  17. tube — a container
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. court — of law
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mate — a partner
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. present — the time now

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