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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. net — after costs
  3. fine — all right
  4. net — for catching
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fine — high quality
  9. net — in sport
  10. charge — in control
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. clip — for paper
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. vault — a safe
  19. clip — a video
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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