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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. object — to protest
  3. net — in sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. object — a thing
  6. track — a song
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. net — after costs
  10. present — there
  11. present — the time now
  12. net — for catching
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rush — hurry
  15. track — a path
  16. object — an aim
  17. land — to come down
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. track — to keep track
  20. land — a country
  21. bear — the animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bear — the animal

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