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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a match
  5. tube — a container
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. can — a tin
  10. present — there
  11. wind — moving air
  12. game — wild animals
  13. can — a tin
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. tube — the underground
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. toast — bread
  18. can — to be able to
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wind — moving air
  22. present — the time now
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wound — an injury

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