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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mate — to breed
  4. swing — in golf
  5. tube — a container
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. object — to protest
  8. mate — a partner
  9. object — an aim
  10. net — for catching
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. swing — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pop — music
  20. object — a thing
  21. pop — soda
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mate — a friend

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