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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tube — the underground
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. race — humankind
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rest — a break
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. net — in sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. net — for catching
  21. ball — a dance
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. plane — a tool

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