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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · rash · saw · dip · arm · court · date · net

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tube — a container
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. net — after costs
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rash — a series
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. court — of law
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. net — in sport
  15. court — for sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. court — of a king
  18. net — for catching
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tube — the underground
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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