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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — steady
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tube — the underground
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stock — shares
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pop — to visit
  10. net — after costs
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tube — a container
  14. firm — decided
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. net — in sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pop — soda
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. net — for catching

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