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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. last — to go on
  3. present — the time now
  4. track — a song
  5. fork — in a road
  6. march — the month
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. march — the month
  9. last — final
  10. net — for catching
  11. pound — a weight
  12. tube — a container
  13. net — after costs
  14. present — a gift
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tube — the underground
  18. last — finally
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. march — music
  21. track — a path
  22. present — there
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pound — for dogs

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