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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. net — in sport
  3. present — a gift
  4. dip — to sink
  5. plane — a tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tube — a container
  10. pit — in a race
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pit — a hole
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rock — a stone
  15. present — the time now
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. net — after costs
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. hand — help
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. present — there
  24. net — for catching

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