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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tube — a container
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. game — a match
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chest — a box
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. tube — the underground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rush — hurry

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