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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. net — for catching
  3. wake — a trail
  4. present — the time now
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — to confront
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. present — there
  11. rest — what's left
  12. present — a gift
  13. bass — the fish
  14. net — after costs
  15. bass — low music
  16. rest — a break
  17. face — part of the head
  18. tube — a container
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. net — in sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tube — the underground

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