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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. game — a match
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. net — after costs
  6. mate — a partner
  7. net — in sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. game — wild animals
  10. can — to be able to
  11. net — for catching
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cell — in biology
  14. track — a path
  15. cell — a phone
  16. track — a song
  17. can — a tin
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. track — to keep track
  23. can — a tin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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