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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. shower — to wash
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pop — music
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. snap — to click
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. net — after costs
  12. shower — rain
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. present — there
  16. net — in sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. present — a gift
  19. pop — to visit
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. present — the time now
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pop — soda

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