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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. last — final
  4. tube — a container
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. net — for catching
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. mate — a partner
  12. net — in sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mate — a friend
  17. chair — a leader
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mark — a grade
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — to breed

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