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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tube — the underground
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. staff — a stick
  7. net — after costs
  8. bass — low music
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. staff — employees
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tube — a container
  15. net — for catching
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bass — the fish
  18. squash — the sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. squash — to crush

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