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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. net — for catching
  3. mate — a friend
  4. net — after costs
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. present — there
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. net — in sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. present — the time now
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — a weight
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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