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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wound — an injury
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bulb — for light
  8. net — in sport
  9. plane — a tool
  10. tube — the underground
  11. net — for catching
  12. track — a song
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tube — a container
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. track — a path
  17. kick — in football
  18. mug — a cup
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — after costs
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — an aircraft

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