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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. roll — a list
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. rash — a series
  9. roll — a cake
  10. net — in sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cold — not warm
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. present — there
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rash — on the skin

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