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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. net — after costs
  3. present — a gift
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rock — a stone
  6. net — for catching
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. game — a match
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. game — wild animals
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — in sport
  19. present — there
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pass — a permit
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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