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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — a container
  4. rest — what's left
  5. craft — boats
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. clip — for paper
  8. net — after costs
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rest — a break
  11. mate — to breed
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mate — a friend
  14. net — for catching
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. pit — in a race
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pit — a hole
  23. rest — what's left
  24. craft — a skill

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