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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. net — for catching
  3. last — final
  4. spell — a short time
  5. firm — steady
  6. object — to protest
  7. net — after costs
  8. firm — decided
  9. last — to go on
  10. object — an aim
  11. last — finally
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spell — magic
  15. present — a gift
  16. spell — letters
  17. present — the time now
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. present — there
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. net — in sport
  24. object — a thing

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