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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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. spell — letters
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. spell — a short time
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. spell — magic
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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