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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. spell — letters
  6. present — a gift
  7. net — for catching
  8. spell — magic
  9. present — the time now
  10. net — in sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rash — hasty
  14. present — there
  15. season — of the year
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. net — after costs
  19. rash — a series
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. tube — a container
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitcher — a jug

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