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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mark — a trace
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. shower — rain
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — the month
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — the month
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pitch — completely
  22. march — music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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