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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — in sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — a container
  7. spring — of water
  8. stock — goods
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. spring — a coil
  12. net — after costs
  13. mate — a partner
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — the season
  16. track — a path
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mate — a friend
  19. track — a song
  20. net — for catching
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tube — the underground

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