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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. land — ground
  3. roll — a cake
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. roll — a list
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. net — after costs
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bear — the animal
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. object — a thing
  16. net — for catching
  17. land — to come down
  18. object — an aim
  19. net — in sport
  20. land — a country
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. object — to protest
  24. mate — a partner

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