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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. net — for catching
  3. fall — the season
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bear — the animal
  12. firm — decided
  13. row — a line
  14. pit — in a race
  15. firm — a company
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. firm — steady
  18. spring — the season
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — a coil
  22. tube — a container
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spring — of water

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