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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mate — a friend
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — money
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. net — for catching
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mate — a partner
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mate — to breed
  17. firm — decided
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rash — a series
  20. net — in sport
  21. firm — steady
  22. net — after costs
  23. capital — a city
  24. firm — a company

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