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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. tube — a container
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. tube — the underground
  7. present — a gift
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. net — after costs
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. net — in sport
  24. track — a path

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