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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tube — a container
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tube — the underground
  7. root — the cause
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — for catching
  16. spell — a short time
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spell — letters
  19. root — of a word
  20. spell — magic
  21. chest — a box
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chest — of your body
  24. net — after costs

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