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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. present — there
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. net — for catching
  7. present — a gift
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. present — the time now
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. net — in sport
  12. tube — a container
  13. snap — to click
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tube — the underground
  17. content — happy
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. game — a match
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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