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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — for catching
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. land — to come down
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. present — the time now
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. net — after costs
  16. present — a gift
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. land — a country
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. land — ground
  22. present — there
  23. tube — a container
  24. net — in sport

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