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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — a container
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pop — to visit
  5. net — for catching
  6. pop — soda
  7. last — final
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. net — after costs
  12. present — there
  13. last — finally
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. last — to go on
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pound — a weight
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. pop — music
  24. net — in sport

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