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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. net — in sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. net — after costs
  7. game — a match
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tube — a container
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bear — the animal
  23. net — for catching
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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