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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — of law
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stock — shares
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. present — the time now
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lie — to recline
  12. tube — a container
  13. band — a music group
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. row — a line
  19. stock — goods
  20. band — a ring
  21. court — for sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of a king
  24. tube — the underground

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