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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hand — in cards
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pop — soda
  5. present — there
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — help
  16. pound — a weight
  17. present — the time now
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. tube — a container

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