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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. roll — a list
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pop — music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. land — a country
  10. roll — a cake
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. land — to come down
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. net — in sport
  16. rest — a break
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. present — there
  21. rest — what's left
  22. present — the time now
  23. date — the fruit
  24. land — ground

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