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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. suit — to fit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. charge — in control
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. vault — a safe
  8. net — in sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. content — happy
  11. charge — a price
  12. wake — a trail
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. suit — clothes
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. suit — in cards
  17. charge — electricity
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tube — a container
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. content — the amount
  23. net — for catching
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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