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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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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: firm · bowl · tube · stick · net · mug · cap · fork

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mug — a face
  6. firm — a company
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. tube — the underground
  9. firm — steady
  10. mug — to rob
  11. firm — decided
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. net — in sport
  14. cap — of ice
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. net — for catching
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tube — a container

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