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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. march — music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. pit — in a race
  9. march — the month
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — the month
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pit — a hole
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. tube — the underground
  18. season — of the year

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