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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chest — a box
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bulb — for light
  11. band — a ring
  12. net — in sport
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. tube — a container
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tube — the underground
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chest — of your body
  24. band — a music group

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