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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. march — music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cue — a hint
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. tube — a container
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — the month
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fan — to cool the 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