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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. net — for catching
  3. mate — a friend
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. game — a match
  7. staff — employees
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fork — in a road
  11. court — for sport
  12. mate — to breed
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mate — a partner
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of law
  18. bear — the animal
  19. net — in sport
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. court — of a king
  23. net — after costs
  24. bear — the animal

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