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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. tube — a container
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. content — the amount
  5. band — a music group
  6. tube — the underground
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hand — in cards
  11. scale — size or range
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. content — happy
  17. bat — the animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — help

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