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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. last — final
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. present — there
  5. tube — the underground
  6. last — finally
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — to go on
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — a law
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. tube — a container
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. present — the time now
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. present — a gift

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