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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — after costs
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bear — the animal
  5. roll — a list
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — in a road
  9. tube — a container
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. kid — child
  21. toast — bread
  22. net — in sport
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bear — to put up with

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