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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. present — the time now
  3. mate — to breed
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. current — electric
  8. present — a gift
  9. perch — the fish
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. net — after costs
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mate — a partner
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — there
  18. current — of water
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. current — happening now
  21. tube — a container
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — the underground
  24. prune — to trim

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