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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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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — in an idiom

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