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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. net — after costs
  6. pop — to visit
  7. sharp — clever
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bear — the animal
  12. net — for catching
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. pop — music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pop — soda
  24. sharp — exactly

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