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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. present — a gift
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. perch — the fish
  13. net — in sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. net — for catching
  17. tube — a container
  18. march — music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. march — the month
  21. present — there
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — the time now
  24. board — to get on

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