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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. present — the time now
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. net — for catching
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. net — after costs
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chest — a box
  16. present — a gift
  17. dip — to sink
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. net — in sport
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. present — there
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ground — a position

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