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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mug — a face
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — soda
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. tube — the underground
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pop — to visit
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cap — of ice
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. court — for sport
  20. pop — music
  21. tube — a container
  22. mug — to rob
  23. court — of law
  24. mug — a cup

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