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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. present — the time now
  3. spring — the season
  4. track — a song
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. plane — a tool
  14. net — after costs
  15. track — a path
  16. kid — child
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. net — for catching
  19. track — to keep track
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. kid — to tease
  24. plane — in geometry

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