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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. net — in sport
  9. kid — child
  10. net — for catching
  11. stock — goods
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stock — shares
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. dip — to sink
  18. last — finally
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. net — after costs
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bear — the animal
  24. present — there

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