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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chair — a leader
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. plane — a tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rest — a break
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rest — what's left
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — in sport
  22. mate — a partner
  23. tube — a container
  24. net — after costs

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