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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spring — the season
  4. deal — to handle
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rock — a stone
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tube — a container
  9. season — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. present — the time now
  12. tube — the underground
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rock — music
  15. net — after costs
  16. foot — a measure
  17. spring — a coil
  18. present — there
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. net — in sport
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. spring — of water
  24. season — of the year

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