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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. present — a gift
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mug — to rob
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. present — the time now
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tube — the underground
  17. present — there
  18. mine — an explosive

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